GameCenter CX
, also known as 'Retro Game Master' in other regions, is a Japanese gaming-variety show television program produced by Fuji Television and Gascoin Company. It stars Shinya Arino, a member of comedy duo Yoiko, who plays home console video games from previous decades and usually attempts to get the game's ending within a single day. The show has been on-air since November 4, 2003, with a new episode airing bi-weekly at Thursday midnight on Fuji TV One. 11 DVD sets have been released in Japan. In 2008 Fuji TV was looking for international distributors for subtitled DVDs.Game Center CX debuts in New York CitySubtitled Retro Game Master DVDs seek distributor Premise The show is presented as a gaming variety show which follows a commentary-based longplay format. Shinya Arino challenges several games from previous eras, presented by his producers in order to get each ending. He is supported by the show's assistant directors (referred to as ADs) and sometimes other staff, both via moral support and actual gameplay. He also is featured in segments interspersed throughout the episodes where he goes to local arcade centers, as well as segments where he does a variety of things, such as interviews with game designers, showcasing classic console hardware or games, or a made-up game show where the staff participate. GameCenter CX as a company Arino is presented as an employee of the GameCenter CX company, which exists solely inside the GameCenter CX universe. His jumpsuit attire adorns the GameCenter CX logo, which with the second season onward lost the original brackets around the "CX". Arino formally greets anyone of status by serving him/her a business card. The CX company even promotes Arino depending on how well he does during the season. The phrase Arino says right before turning on the console, "''Kachō on!", signifies his role as chief of the aforementioned company. To continue on with the corporate theme of the show, a stock certificate was included with the second DVD collection to have the buyers feel like they owned stock in the company. In the last episode of season 7, Bandai Namco Entertainment president Ishikawa made Arino an honorary employee and presented him with a company card. ADs The assistant directors help provide creative input, construct settings, and work as camera crew at times, especially when on location. Their on-screen presence is typically precipitated by Arino struggling with a spot in a game. They will offer help of a varying degree, enough to dislodge Arino from his despair, but not so much as to raise questions about whether he beat the game on his own. These members of staff start as interns, and often they are promoted to various paid positions surrounding the show's production. Many have moved on to other Japanese TV shows. * - Season 1 * - Seasons 1 & 2(first episode only) * - Season 2 * - Seasons 3 & 4 * , a.k.a. - Seasons 5 & 6, later promoted to Trainee Director in the end of season 13 * , a.k.a. - Season 7 * - Season 8 * - Seasons 9 & 10, left the staff in the 12th season. * , a.k.a. - Seasons 11 & 12, left the staff in the end of the 12th season. * - Seasons 11 & 12 & 13 * , a.k.a. - Seasons 13 & 14 & 15, now only appears in the "TamaGe" segments starting the 15th Season. * Seasons 13 & 14 & 15 * - Season 16 * - Seasons 16 & 17 & 18, left the staff in the 18th season. * - Season 18 & 19 * - Seasons 19 & 20 * - Season 20 & 21 * - Season 21 & 22 * - Season 22 Miscellaneous staff * - Cameraman * - Art Director, Writer * - Producer, Narrator * - Video Editor * , a.k.a. - Voice Mixing * - Planner * - Assistant Director, left the staff in the 12th season. Came back as director in 17th season. * - Assistant Director * - Production Music * Audio clips from the videogame Kid Icarus (光神話 パルテナの鏡) are often used to intro segments with The King. * The song used during Arino's arcade field trip adventures is called 異国のしらべ from HEAT WAVE. * The song during his trip north is "Between the expansive sky and large land" by Chiharu Matsuyama. * The second and third seasons made extensive use of the soundtracks from the games Headhunter and Headhunter Redemption to highlight the show's dramatic segments. * The show also frequently features popular music by contemporary artists such as Phil Collins, Jesse McCartney and Madonna, as well as music from film scores like "Jurassic Park" and Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". Game challenges Main games NOTE: An asterisk (*) is noted beside the episode number to indicate the episode's localization and release on Kotaku. Western titles in "quotes" are unofficial names Kotaku uses to refer to Japan-only games. ;1st season (This season featured a game series or game company as its main focus with Arino's challenge game as a secondary feature) ;2nd season (episode numbering started with Arino's challenge games being the main feature) ;3rd season ;4th season (The season mascot changes from King to Queen) ;5th season (Season was shortened due to birth of Arino's daughter) ;6th season (The season mascot changes from Queen to Dark King) ;7th season (the season changes from Dark King to King. The Dark King makes a brief reappearance in #53) ;8th season ;9th season (Season was shortened due to Arino being hospitalized) ;10th season ;11th season ;12th season (The season mascot changes from King to Fallen Warrior) ;13th season (The season mascot changes from Fallen Warrior to King) ;14th season ;15th season ;16th season ;17th season ;18th season (The season mascot changes from the King to Elephant King) ;19th season ;20th season ;21st season ;22nd season ;23rd season DVD-Exclusive Challenges Each DVD-Box set released includes a game challenge exclusive to the DVD set. Most of these challenges were famicom games. Video Releases On June 23, 2011, gaming website Kotaku started streaming English translated episodes of the series. On January 13, 2012, Kotaku announced that their agreement to broadcast the show had ended; there will be no second season, and existing episodes will be removed when the rights expire. However, on February 28, 2012, Discotek Media announced via their Facebook page that they had acquired the rights to the 12 episodes shown on Kotaku and will release them on DVD. They are hoping for a summer release and the sales of the DVD set will determine whether more episodes will be released in the future. On April 24, Discotek Media announced on their Facebook page that the episode count will be fourteen. On May 17, Discotek Media set September 18, 2012, as the release date. So far there have been seventeen DVD sets put out with the latest released in December 2018. Each one contains key episodes, game center visits and a game challenge exclusive to the DVD set. They are not season compilations. DVD-Box Vol. 5 also includes; :Tamage In South Korea: By Economy Class DVD-Box Vol. 6 also includes; :Game Center CX Museum Report／Cannes Infiltration Report :Revenge Challenge :: Legend of the Mystical Ninja DVD-Box Vol. 8 also includes; :Revenge Challenge :: The Genji and Heike Clans DVD-Box Vol. 9 also includes; :Southernmost Gaming Travelogue :Revenge Challenge :: F-Zero DVD-Box Vol. 11 also includes; :Revenge Challenge :: Famicom Trainer Jogging Race :Tamage In ASIA: Director's Cut Edition DVD-Box Vol. 12 also includes; :Tamage In Paris: Director's Cut Edition DVD-Box Vol. 13 also includes; :Tamage In Vietnam: Director's Cut Edition DVD-Box Vol. 14 also includes; ;Tamage in Atami, Shizuoka DVD-Box Vol. 15 also includes; ;Tamage in Nagoya, Japan: Business Trip through Regular Bus Segments Each episode of Game Center CX is made up of a number of different segments. The only segment which appears in every episode is Arino's Challenge. The other segments vary by episode and season. However, the episodes that appear on Kotaku omit these segments, instead focusing only on the challenge of the week.Crunk Games Game Center CX Episode Guide Media Video games At the end of the 6th Season, it was announced that there were plans to make a GameCenter CX video game. The game, entitled GameCenter CX: Arino's Challenge, is for the Nintendo DS and was produced in a collaborative effort by Fuji TV and Bandai Namco Games. During the 7th Season, certain parts of the show featured the development process of the game. The game was released in Japan on November 15, 2007,ゲームセンターCX 有野の挑戦状 and in North America by Xseed Games on February 10, 2009, under the title Retro Game Challenge. A second game, GameCenter CX: Arino's Challenge 2 was released in Japan on February 26, 2009. Xseed Games has stated that US release of the game is unlikely, due to its predecessor's not catching enough attention from the North American gaming community. A third game, "Game Center CX: 3-Choume no Arino" was released in Japan on March 20, 2015, and is the first installment in the series to come to the Nintendo 3DS. Arino appears as a Mystery Mushroom figure in Super Mario Maker, which is unlocked by clearing one of his Event Courses added to the game on November 4, 2015. Theatrical Film GameCenter CX: The Movie - 1986 Mighty Bomb Jack was released on February 22, 2014, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the show. Spin-Offs & Advertising GameCenter DX starring another challenger (Masaru Hamaguchi, the other half of star Arino Kacho’s comedy duo “Yoiko”), and featuring many staff of the original, began in 2015 to showcase contemporary Nintendo titles, such as the latest entries in the Mario Bros. and Starfox series. Nintendo eShop-exclusive specials On occasion, special GameCenter CX programs were produced for the Nintendo Channel for the Wii. Later, when the Nintendo eShop succeeded the Nintendo Channel, additional specials were produced, such as a special where Arino and late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata interviewed each other and played Balloon Fight (which Iwata programmed during the early years of his career). References External links * Official GameCenter CX site (Japanese) * English episode guide at Crunk Games Category:2003 Japanese television series debuts Category:Television programs about video games Category:Fictional companies Category:Discotek Media Category:Fuji Television shows